POLICE today hit out at a 46 year old man who bombarded the 999 telephone line with 46 emergency calls in one hour and 12 minutes because he wanted to complain to a police inspector.

Blackburn magistrates heard that Robert Neville Birtles eventually got to speak to an inspector but only when he and another officer arrived at his home address to arrest him.

Birtles, formerly of Largs Road, Blackburn, but now living in Bolton, pleaded guilty to persistently using the telecommunication system to cause annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety and to using threatening behaviour. He was given a community rehabilitation order for 12 months and ordered to pay £65 costs.

Today police criticised Birtles and said he could have stopped them responding to a genuine emergency. Speaking after the case, Sgt Mark Sharples, who works in the control room at Greenbank police station in Whitebirk, covering the Eastern Division, said: "We have to take every 999 call -- we cannot filter them.

"I would like to think we didn't miss anything that night because if you can't get through to 999 you go to a national operator, but a life could be at stake if we are messing about with someone who doesn't need 999.

"This chap has rung 46 times to make a point, it seems, as the first time he called we will have given him another number as we need to keep the 999 lines as clear as possible."

John Wood, prosecuting, said police had originally gone to Birtles' address in Largs Road in response to an anonymous report of a domestic incident on September 2. The officers spoke to Birtles and checked on the welfare of the other occupants.

"It was plain he didn't want the police there and they left with a barrage of insults from him," said Mr Wood. He said that at 10.28 pm Birtles called 999 and asked to speak to a police inspector.

"He was advised of the appropriate procedure and told not to use the 999 number," said Mr Wood. "He clearly didn't take that advice because there were a further 46 calls which only ended when officers called at his home. He again became abusive and he was arrested.

"Clearly that number of calls could have had adverse consequences for other people" he added.

Suzanne Dooley, defending, said Birtles was sole carer for his three children and was terrified at the prospect of going to prison and what that would do to them.

She said that in May one of his children had been assaulted by two men and the police had become involved. Miss Dooley said that despite numerous complaints through appropriate channels very little action appeared to have been taken with regards to the complaint of assault.

On the night of the incident one of his children, who suffered from sever autism and had not taken his medication, began playing up.

"One of the neighbours reported a complaint of noise and the police were very quickly at his home," said Miss Dooley. "He began to question why the police had responded so quickly to a minor disturbance but had taken months to respond to a serious assault on his son."